Floating Hearts Tote Bag

Sharing this great finish of my "Floating Hearts" canvas, courtesy of Garden Gate Needlepoint!  Their customer Dolores O. stitched this with help from shop teacher Shelley Mullin and it was finished out in a cute tote pocket by Judi!  Great work ladies! 

It's In the Bag!

I have two really cute finishes today, both are tote bags!  This first one is my Harvest Colors Puzzle stitched by the daughter one of my most prolific fans, Gwynn L.  So happy that she is getting the next generation into needlepoint and that one of my designs could be a part of it!

Next up is a finish by Jane A. at The Stitching Studio and this one surprised me as I had never pictured one of my Owls on a tote bag, but I think it totally works!  

Pretty cool that the colors match so well on both totes, right?  I think I'm going to have to make one or possibly both of these for myself!  Better get to work then, Happy Stitching! 

Two Gorgeous Finishes by TJ Designs Needlepoint Finishing

Just wanted to share these two lovely finishes by TJ Designs Needlepoint Finishing.  Her customer Annice Hill stitched my Winter Tree canvas and TJ's made it into a fabulously embellished ornament:

This is my Candy Cornucopia canvas finished into a very glamorous bag.  I finished my original model of this much the same way, but with feathers rather than fur.  I have to say I really like the fur version, and it probably doesn't shed nearly as much as my feathered version either! 

Happy Wednesday, thanks for stopping by!

Winter Waterfall Bracelet in the January 2015 Issue of Needlepoint Now

I have been a little remiss on telling you all about my latest design in Needlepoint Now magazine, Winter Waterfall.  It is the latest in my series of cuff bracelets and this one has a distinctively frosty winter feel.  

It utilizes one of my all time favorite techniques, Bargello!  So fun and so quick to stitch and of course, it sparkles too!  Lots of FyreWerks metallics and I added a touch of Swarovski crystal bling as well.  Here is a detail photo of the design while it was still under construction:

Hope you may find this helpful if you are stitching the design, although I doubt you'll need it as it is so easy to do!

Here's a look at it in the magazine, with the wonderful styling you expect from Needlepoint Now:

Hope you will enjoy stitching this, and as always, if you have questions please contact me here at the blog.  Happy Stitching!

New Cuff Bracelet Design for Needlepoint Now-- Witches' Familiars

My newest design for Needlepoint Now is officially available!  This is the second in a series of cuff bracelet designs that I started with the Tropicana Cuff.  This is a Halloween theme that can easily be adapted to any theme you would like-- your favorite holiday or hobby or color, a perfect piece to use that special color thread or embellishment that you've been looking to showcase.  I hope you'll have fun experimenting with this design.  Be sure to send me a picture of what you come up with so I can showcase it here!

Winter Fox Finished!

Remember when I showed you this mouth watering photo of all four of my fox canvases with their stitch guides and threads, taken upon their arrival at this lucky stitcher's home?

Well, that stitcher got started stitchin' right away, starting with the Winter Fox:

And ta-da!!  She is all done-- doesn't he look great?  Love all the textures, from the sparkly snowflakes to the velvety fur!

And if that doesn't blow you away, look at this-- she has a fox magnet AND a fox Snap Tray!

And if that didn't blow your socks off, then this will (it did mine!)-- she made a fox dress to celebrate the finish!!!! OMG, I am in AWE, no joke! Caroline, you may be my favorite stitcher EVER!

Will she have a new Snap Tray and dress for the other three foxes as well?  Oh, I hope so!! If so, you WILL see it here, so be sure to check back again soon! 

Royal School of Needlework

I am a huge fan of classic hand embroidery in all its forms-- crewel, stumpwork, goldwork, you name it.  It is well beyond my skill level, yet I buy every book I come across on the subject, especially those from the Royal School.  Isn't it wonderful that embroidery is still such a revered and even necessary art form in England, Europe and Australia?  When I first learned about the Royal School of Needlework I was amazed that a degree college for needlework existed-- it would be like finding a real Hogwarts if you are a Harry Potter fan! It certainly made me wish that I lived in the UK, and not just for the RSN, but also for the City & Guilds School (sort of a Junior College RSN equivalent that also offers needlework courses.)
What got me thinking about RSN today was that they were featured on CBS News Sunday Morning yesterday.  If you would like to watch the video, go to the CBS site here.


The location of the Royal School is inside Hampton Court Palace (could it get any better??!)

Here is a photo of their lovely course catalog:

This is a picture of the first book (to my knowledge) from RSN that was widely distributed worldwide. It is not currently in print but can still be found from resellers.  It is fabulous, I can't recommend it enough! 

I also have to highly recommend any of the new series of books that RSN has been producing recently.  All are technique books focused on a single subject-- blackwork, crewel, stumpwork and silk shading are the ones released so far.  The silk shading one is my favorite, but I think the stumpwork guide is the most useful for needlepointers.

Hope you get a chance to check out the video and the books, I think whatever type of needlework you enjoy, there's a good chance you will find something here that will interest you.  

Needlepoint in Fashion Update

Consider this a mini-update of sorts to my previous blog entry about needlepoint as the latest trend in the high fashion industry.  The fashion shows for accessories are going on now and needlepoint is part of the trends seen there as well. Check out the Hermes beach-style tote below, done in long stitch on canvas.  

Did you know that Dr. Martens has a line of unisex needlepoint shoes?  I didn't-- as a matter of fact, I really couldn't even imagine a combination of traditional needlepoint style with a pair of Doc Martens, they are just too opposite each other.  However, after seeing them, I think I could change my mind:

Kind of cute, aren't they?  They even have boots!

So why should all this high-fashion stuff matter to us stitchers?  Most of us are not going to run out and buy that $6800 Hermes tote to carry our WIPs, after all!  It matters because now we can look forward to a great deal of needlepoint inspired ready-to-wear and accessories in the stores most of us shop in everyday.  This will not only be great for us, but I think it will help the needlepoint industry as well, by helping to return it to the level of popularity it enjoyed back in the '70's. (Or at least we can hope it will!)  Anything that helps popularize and familiarize our craft with the great public is fine by me!  I will be keeping my eyes open for more needlepoint fashion and if you see something as well please do share it with us in the comment section below.  Until then, Happy Stitching!

Needlepoint in the News

Could we be on the verge of a Needlepoint comeback? Everything else that was popular in the 1970's seems to be around these days, so why not needlepoint? It must have been nice back then when needlepoint was so popular; imagine how great it would be to tell a new acquaintance "I Needlepoint" and not get a blank stare or worse, "Is that like knitting?" Sadly, I have been on the receiving end of both those responses and others like them. This article from Style.com has been making the rounds over on Facebook today and I wanted to share it and some of the photos from the article with you here. It would seem that needlepoint is all over the fabulous clothes modeled in the Fall runway shows. Look at this tapestry-like design on a Balmain shirt:And this fabulous Dolce & Gabbana blouse:
It's amazing to see such a quaint design decorating a high fashion look! Sweater by Suno.
It actually doesn't surprise me so much to see beautiful embroidery from Valentino, however!
This Proenza Schouler tunic reminds me more of Japanese embroidery than needlepoint but is fabulous just the same:
So there you have it. I certainly hope this marks a beginning of a trend that will bring needlepoint out to the mainstream again. It certainly would be good for all of us already addicted-- new stores, new products, and even more importantly, new stitchers to keep our art alive far into the future!

I also have heard that a new movie coming out this year will star Susan Sarandon as a character who needlepoints and apparently, it won't be just a background thing, you will see some actual needlepointing in the movie. If that's the case, let's hope it's not a period piece but something in the here and now. I will see what I can find out about this movie and share it here. And by all means if any of you have any information about it, please leave it in the comments for us all to share.